And what a man Beck and Woods have cast in their religious horror flick, effectively weaponizing the befuddled British charm of one Mr. Hugh Grant, who has fumbled and grinned through such rom-com classics as “Notting Hill,

It’s the question Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), the unlucky Mormon missionaries he has entrapped in his house, must answer in order to escape. Mr. Reed promises to show them a miracle, to challenge their beliefs ...

For decades, Hugh Grant was the ideal romantic-comedy heartthrob, so there’s something darkly subversive about casting him as a religiously minded psychopath who preys upon women in Heretic, a delightfully deviant new film that mixes theology,

A minimalist feature such as this requires a sharp, intelligent script and performers who can effectively captivate and carry the full weight of the story, and Heretic shines with both. A smart, meta story structure is complemented with intelligent,

Hugh Grant turns his natural charm into a weapon in “Heretic,” a stimulating discussion of religion that emerges from a horror movie wrapper.

That’s the premise, and the clever casting, of “Heretic,” a horror film starring Grant in his least likely role: a total sicko. Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, of “A Quiet Place,” the film features moody cinematography from Chung Chung-hoon (2017’s “It”),